Dreaming Southern by Linda Bruckheimer

Linda Bruckheimer's novel about Lila Mae and her kids is a weird little tale. It is a road movie in book form, and from page one you are not quite sure if you like the characters or not. Lila Mae is on her way to California from Kentucky, which she and her family has to flee, because of some business ventures gone wrong. The husband is already in California, waiting for the rest of the family to come. But Lila make some strange detours, and depending on the detour, the kids are either annoyed or happy. You will wonder what this trip is about, and you are not likely to get any answers, because Lila herself does not really know what it is all about. When she offers to drive a woman and her criminal son to a hospital so they can visit the sick daughter/sister, the kids sort of give up and goes with the flow. All through the story you may feel slightly annoyed with specially Lila Mae, but she also come across as vulnerable, unhappy and utterly confused, maybe even a bit dumb. The big question is of course if you can run from your past (and present) or if the wise thing is to face the music with all it's consequences.